Govardhan Das, 52, living in India, stated that he was constantly ostracized by society and exposed to strange looks due to a rare condition that made his face look like it was melting. Das gave information about his disease by explaining that this disease started at the age of 20.
HE LOSE SOME ORGANS
Das did not show signs of neurofibromatosis until the age of 20, when sugar-like tumors sprouted on his face and predominantly affected the right side. Over the next three decades, the masses grew in such an avalanche that he lost his right ear, eye, and half of his mouth, while his nose swelled up badly. “People make fun of me and call me different names, but I didn’t care about them,” 52-year-old Govardhan Das told Jam Press.
DUE TO SKIN PROBLEM CONTINUOUS PAIN
Das’ problems are not just cosmetic. The poor man struggles to see, eat, or speak properly as a result of his prosthetic-like discomfort, and suffers from constant pain, claiming that his skin burns and itches when he sweats.
THEY REFUSE TO SURGERY
Worst of all, tumors that only increase with age have no cure. Doctors reportedly refused to operate on Das because they claimed the condition was brain related and therefore impossible to treat.
“CHILDREN ARE FEAR OF ME”
However, the patient refuses to let his debilitating ailment define him. “I feel uncomfortable moving freely in the market because people look at me and children are afraid of me, but my family and villagers love and respect me,” he said.
DISEASE THAT DISORDERS THE FACE SHAPE IS RARELY OBSERVED
The shopkeeper suffers from neurofibromatosis type 1, a super rare genetic condition “characterized by changes in skin color (pigmentation) and growth of tumors along nerves in the skin, brain, and other parts of the body.” Also known as von Recklinghausen’s disease, the disfiguring disease affects 1 in 3,000 to 4,000 people worldwide.